By Garrick Hoffman

SMCC has much to boast about: our exceptionally beautiful campus, our erudite faculty, and our many busy clubs that are constantly seeing work getting done, just to name a few. But in May of this year, our college was granted even more incentive to boast: our SMCC Peer Tutor Training Program became officially certified by the venerable College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).

The CRLA is an organization for professionals active in the fields of reading, learning assistance, developmental education, tutoring, and mentoring at the college/adult level. It has certified 1160 tutoring programs at colleges such as Boston College, Northeastern, UMO, UNE, and USM. The CRLA has not only certified programs in the U.S., but in six other countries, as well.
SMCC is the only community college in Maine with a peer tutor training program that has been CRLA-approved.
As of yet, eleven SMCC peer tutors have completed the CRLA training program, with eight peer tutors currently participating in the program.

In order to become a CRLA-approved tutor, one must complete ten hours of in-person workshops that cover topics such as the role of a tutor, the fostering of independence, and communication skills. Following this is an evaluation of tutors by the Assistant Director of the Academic Achievement Center (AAC), by one’s self, and by one’s peers.
Throughout the 2013-2014 academic year, SMCC peer tutors facilitated a staggering 10,000 tutor interactions.
If you are interested in becoming a tutor yourself, consider joining the SMCC Peer Tutoring team, composed of highly trained and certified peer tutors. The next cycle of training begins in January 2015.
For more information, visit the following:
http://www.crla.net
http://smccme.libguides.com/tutoring